


The Things That We Could Be

by kokoromg



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 20:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3395054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kokoromg/pseuds/kokoromg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A classic high school AU. Or, the one in which Ruby and Yang are the new kids at the hottest high school in the country, year-long teams compete for an assured spot at the prestigious Beacon University, and literally everyone is a mess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Things That We Could Be

“It’s time to wake _up_!” Ruby pounded on her sister’s door.

“Ruby, stop knocking. It’s like, 9. And a Saturday. If you have to hit town before the sun comes up, you can go by yourself.”

Ruby sighed. “But you promised you’d go with me!”

“I said I’d go with you sometime today. Operative word being _day_.”

“But I’ve been waiting for like 3 hours already!”

“Then just go! I’ll meet you later. Go make some friends!”

Ruby scowled. “Whatever.” She trudged away. “Dad, I’m heading out now! Except not with Yang because she can’t get her lazy butt out of bed before noon.”

Her dad appeared behind her. “I see. Well, have a good time.”

Ruby rolled her eyes, but smiled as she left. Her dad was a little absent minded, but he meant well. He'd even offered to drive her, but she had told him not to bother. Their new house was well within walking distance of the local mall, and she really liked walking.

The mall was outdoors, and pretty large. She spent half an hour just walking around, and that was _without_ stopping to examine all the shops. Eventually, she stopped to buy some school supplies, then went back to wandering. She’d almost made it around the mall a third time when her phone rang.

“Hey, where you at?” Yang asked. Ruby rolled her eyes.

“I wasn’t expecting you for at least another hour.”

“Yeah, well. Today’s your lucky day!”

“Uh huh. Well,” Ruby said, glancing around her. A couple doors down was an off brand coffee shop. “I’m at the Java Bean. Come buy me coffee.”

“How am I supposed to know where that is?”

“I don’t know! Figure it out quick though, because I really, really want hot chocolate now.”

The line clicked, and Ruby stowed her phone away. She entered the café, which was pretty empty. There was a chipper looking girl with bright orange hair manning the counter, and a silver haired girl on a laptop tucked away in a corner. The only noise came from a sports game on a mounted TV. Ruby grabbed a table for two, and after a while, Yang plopped down across from her.

“Do you know how big this place is?! How does anyone find anything?”

“It’s a mystery,” Ruby grinned. “But maybe you can find me a hot chocolate.”

Yang glared at her, and mumbled something about unappreciative kids. But she got up and ordered a hot chocolate and a black coffee with 3 extra shots. When she returned, Ruby eyed Yang’s drink distastefully.

“I can’t believe you can drink that stuff.”

Yang raised an eyebrow and took a sip. “It’s definitely not for the weak.”

“It’s not for anyone who can’t drink rat poison.”

Yang laughed, and the two sat in comfortable silence. The TV switched from the football game to a news report.

“Famous local businessman Dustin Schmee, owner of Schmee Mining Corporation, took a stance on national television yesterday,” a news reporter said. A video clip replaced the reporter, and a stern looking man with greying hair stood at a podium. Camera lights made his face flicker, but his eyes were cold.

“I am an individual with a constitutional and God-given right to express an opinion,” he said. “And I do not support Act 134. It’s not personal, but I do believe that we should try to uphold traditional marriage values. Same sex marriage goes directly against the values that we, as Americans, pride ourselves upon. I am speaking out because many people are now afraid to. I—“

He continued talking, but Ruby interrupted, outraged. “Yang, that’s terrible.”

Yang nodded. “Yeah, well. You can’t win everybody.”

“But that’s just wrong! What’s wrong with him?” Ruby asked, indignant.

“Hey!” a new voice cut in.

Both Yang and Ruby turned, and found the silver haired girl glaring at them.

“Hey what?” Ruby asked.

“Don’t talk about him like that. You don’t know him! It’s an opinion, and it’s not really your place to judge.”

“Not our place…to judge?” Yang repeated, a look of disdain spreading across her face. She rose from her chair. The other girl stood up, too.

“No, it’s not. So just stop talking about things you don’t understand.”

“Oh, sure. Well I guess it’s my _opinion_ that that guy is a major douchebag.”

The girl glowered, then picked up her stuff and stormed out of the café. Ruby swallowed as Yang sat down and unclenched her fists.

“Wow…looks like we made a friend,” Ruby said halfheartedly.

“It’s not personal.” The barista had been quiet during Yang and the silver haired girl’s fight, but she spoke up now.

“No?” Ruby asked, curious.

“No, that’s just Weiss. Weiss Schmee. That guy on TV is her dad. And she’s kind of a bitch to everyone. Don’t take it personally. I’d hate for you to think everyone around here’s like her.”

Ruby gave her a small smile. “Thanks, glad to hear it.”

“No problem. Are you two new here? I haven’t seen you around, and not to brag, but this is the most popular café in the town. Everybody comes in here.”

“Um…” Ruby said, looking around at the empty chairs and tables. Then she brightened. “Yeah, we’re new. We’re here ‘cause we got into Signal High School.”

The barista grinned. “No way? I totally go there!”

“Wow, really? What’s it like? ‘Cause like, we’ve been on the tours, but it’s just not the same, y’know?”

“Well, it’s hard to describe. You’ll just have to see for yourself! But it’s not a choice school for nothing. Congratulations on getting in!”

“Thanks!” Ruby grinned wider. “I’m Ruby,” she said. “Who’re you?”

“Nora,” the barista said. Then she glanced at Yang. “Who’s your friend?”

“That’s Yang,” Ruby said. “Though she’s sulking because she didn’t get to finish her fight.”

“Am not,” Yang muttered. But her face softened, and she smiled at Nora. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

“And you!” Nora said. Her cheery personality was infectious, and within minutes of small talk, Ruby and Yang had all but forgotten Weiss. A small amount of customers began trickling in, though, and Yang glanced at the time.

“Oh hey! We should probably go buy some school stuff,” she said.

“I already got mine,” Ruby said smugly.

“Yeah, well. I don’t think I’ll be able to find anything without you, so you’re gonna have to come with me,” Yang told her. Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. See you Monday, Nora?”

“Yeah, definitely. Welcome to Vale!”

 

\---

 

As it turned out, the mall was a warm up compared to the maze that was Signal High School. Yang got turned around so many times that she lost track of what floor she was on. Eventually, she got a lucky break and found some signs to the theater. When she got there, it was almost completely full.

“Yang!” Ruby’s voice called out to her, and she scanned the crowd until she found her sister sitting close to the stage. She made her way to her, and sunk into the seat Ruby had saved.

“I hate this place,” she grumbled. Ruby laughed and patted her on the back.

“It’s not your fault that you have zero sense of direction,” Ruby teased. Yang punched her good naturedly.

“Watch it, or you might find yourself walking home.”

“As if you’re not the one who’s _insisting_ that I let you drive me home.”

“Yeah, well. Don’t make me change my mind.”

Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly, the auditorium lights dimmed. The lights on the stage brightened, and a man with messy grey hair and small sunglasses perched on his nose stepped forward.

“Hello, children,” the man said. He paused and surveyed the audience before him. Then he continued, “As most of you are aware, my name is Dr. Ozpin, and I am the Dean at Beacon University. At Beacon, we pride ourselves on accepting the most brilliant minds of today. However, every year, we receive a larger amount of applicants. And unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate more students to go along with this trend. Because of this, Beacon University does have a notorious reputation as being very hard to get into.”

“However, I am sure that most of you know this—after all, you’re here! Signal High School is _the_ top feeder school into Beacon! Furthermore, we reserve spots at our institution for the champions of our annual competition, which is held right here.”

People began to whisper to each other excitedly. Ozpin held up a hand for silence, and the room became quiet. The effect was slightly ruined when a blonde boy slipped into the room, the door clanging noisily behind him.

Ozpin glanced at the boy appraisingly, they continued.  “Yes, that’s right. The winners of the Vytal Tournament receive assured admission as well as full scholarships to Beacon. And although students from other schools may only take one year off to come and compete, students of Signal are permitted to compete any and all years attending here. That is one of the many things that makes this school a top choice for students. And so with that, I congratulate you on getting in. I look forward to seeing some of you again in the future…hopefully, welcoming you to Beacon.” The whispering started up again, and began to get louder.

Ozpin stepped back, and a woman with a tight bun and a stern expression stepped forward. Most of the noise died off, with only the new students and freshman still talking.

“Welcome,” the woman said in a crisp voice, “To Signal High School. My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and I am the principal of this school. I’m sure that many of you are here, as Dr. Ozpin said, to attempt to enter Beacon University. But make no mistake, we will not accept slacking in your studies whether you are competing in the Vytal Tournament or not. You have all proven yourselves capable of performing at the highest degree of excellence, so we will accept nothing less from you."

The audience was silent now. Goodwitch continued, “With that being said, congratulations once again on your acceptance to Signal High School! We hope that you have an excellent year. Now, if you haven’t already, you may collect your schedules in the cafeteria and head to your home room. And once again, to our new students, welcome. To our returning, welcome back. We look forward a great school year!”

She stepped backwards, and the students’ applause was quickly drowned out by the marching band, which came forward and began playing what was probably the school fight song.

Students swarmed towards the exits. Ruby turned to Yang, her eyes shining. She said something, but the band, now playing a pretty terrible rendition of “We Are Family”, drowned her out.

“Well, that was fun,” Yang said, rolling her eyes. “I’m glad I didn’t miss this.”

She might’ve said more, but Ruby began shaking her arm. “Yang! This is so cool!” she shouted.

Yang grinned and shook her head.

“Are you going to compete?” she shouted back.

“Are you kidding? There’s absolutely no way I wouldn’t! You are too, right?”

“Yeah, I think so. Although I’m not totally sure.”

Ruby looked shocked. “Yang. You. Are. Competing.”

Yang grinned. “Yeah, alright. It sounds fun enough. Can we go now, though? Because I swear if we get separated, I won’t find the cafeteria until 3rd period.”

 

\---

 

First days of school never went well for Jaune. In Kindergarten, he’d tripped and face planted into the cupcakes that the teacher had brought for the class. In sixth grade, one elderly teacher had seen his last name and insisted that they discuss how all seven of his older sisters were doing in front of the whole class. Those were twenty of the worst minutes of his life. Freshman year, he had the flu. But he’d been too stubborn to stay at home like his mom had told him to. She’d laughed when the school asked her to pick him up, but the three people he’d accidentally puked on didn’t think it was very funny. People didn’t stop calling him “puke boy” for _months._

He wondered why he thought this year would be any different. Sure, he’d set an alarm for _2 hours_ before school started. But of course, he’d slept right through it. His mom had knocked on his door ten minutes before school started, looking concerned. And the second he came running into the auditorium, the room had been completely silent.

Of course it had. It was just further proof that the universe was not willing to give Jaune a single good first day. Whatever.

The second Goodwitch had stopped speaking, there’d been a mad rush for the doors. But one perk of being totally late—he was the closest to the exit. He slipped out, and ducked next to a vending machine to scan the crowd without getting stampeded. It wasn’t long before he spotted the tall redhead he was looking for, and he quickly made his way to her.

“Hey,” he said grinning. She turned, and a broad smile spread across her face.

“Jaune! It’s lovely to see you. I missed you this morning.”

“Yeah, well,” Jaune chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “I kinda…overslept. It’s the curse.”

“Jaune,” the girl said sternly. “There is no curse. It’s just bad luck.”

“That’s easy for you to say, Pyrrha,” Jaune said. Then he grinned, and took his girlfriend’s hand.

“Jaune?” she asked uncertainly, as he pulled her to the side.

His smile got bigger, and he kissed her. “Well, you’ve been away since like, 2 weeks ago. And I missed you.”

Pyrrha blushed. “We’re in public, though.”

As if to prove her point, a familiar voice shouted, “Get a room!”

“Shut up, Nora,” he shouted back. He heard her giggle.

“You have no shame,” Pyrrha said, trying to act stern but failing. Jaune laughed.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of. I’m dating the coolest, prettiest, _and_ smartest girl in the whole world!”

Pyrrha shook her head, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “You’re not so bad yourself, Jaune.”

“Haha, yeah, well.” They stood there for a few more seconds, just glad to be in each other’s company. Then Pyrrha sighed.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s time to head to class now.”

Jaune sulked for a second, but brightened when Pyrrha gave him another kiss. “Want to meet for lunch?” she asked.

“Heck yeah I do. Meet ya at the usual place?”

“See you then.”

Pyrrha slipped out of Jaune’s arms and back into the now thin stream of students heading to class. Jaune was about to reluctantly follow suit when another familiar face caught his eye. The other guy started making his way towards him, but Jaune made for the opposite direction with a new sense of urgency. When he glanced over his shoulder, the other guy was gone.

He took a deep breath. His first day had just gotten better. He was not going to let anyone ruin that.

Then he exhaled. There was no way he would be able to avoid the other guy forever. Like it or not, he was probably going to have to take care of his Cardin problem soon.

 

\---

 

“ _Dude._ Was that tight as shit or what?”

Neptune glanced up to find his best friend glaring at him. “What was that?”

“You weren’t even listening to me,” Sun complained. Neptune gave him an apologetic look.

“Sorry, man. A little distracted. What were you saying?”

“That speech! It was bananas, man! I’ve never been so interested in what an adult had to say in my life! Aren’t you psyched about being here? We’re off school for a year, to compete in a competition with some really cool kids!”

Neptune grinned. “We’re not _off school._ We still have to take classes here...but I feel you, bro. After all, my _girlfriend_ does go here.”

Sun rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I still don’t understand how you got a girlfriend before the first day of school.”

Neptune cocked his head and gave Sun his most winning smile. Sun nodded. “Ok, fair point. But _still._ ”

“I have my ways,” Neptune laughed. “Anyways, didn’t you meet someone you’re into, too? It was like, a dude’s name. Blaine? Blaze?”

“Blake!” Sun said suddenly, waving. A girl in a black and white turtleneck and a bow in her hair came over. She didn’t say anything, but she nodded at Sun.

“So,” Sun grinned. “How’s your first day going? How'd you like those speeches?”

“You do realize this is my third year at this school?” Blake asked, one eyebrow raised. Sun grinned.

“Yeah, ok. So does that mean you’re having a _good_ first day?”

Blake looked thoughtful for a second, then said, “Nope.”

Sun grinned nervously, but before he got another chance to speak, a silver haired girl came up to them. Blake’s eyes flashed, and she took off with only a quick “See ya” to Sun.

Either the silver haired girl didn’t notice, or she didn’t care. “Hi Neptune,” she said loudly enough for half the school to hear.

“Hey Weiss,” Neptune grinned. “’sup?”

Weiss sniffed. “Not much, it’s the same speech every year. It got boring last year, so.”

“Ah, that’s lame. But hey, it was the first time for me and Sun. Gotta say, we were pretty impressed. Your principal has a real knack for public speaking.”

“That she does,” Weiss said, giggling a little too shrilly. Neptune laughed uneasily, and Weiss gave him an urgent look. He looked confused for a second, then gave Weiss an awkward hug.

“Well…see you later, girlfriend.”

“Bye, boyfriend,” Weiss said, though her eyes were flashing. Neptune gulped. He grabbed Sun’s arm, and dragged him away.

As soon as they were safely out of earshot, Sun wriggled free of Neptune’s grasp. “ _Dude,_ what was that?”

“What was what?”

Sun gave him a strange look. “That was—that wasn’t weird at all to you?”

Neptune paused, then shrugged. “Nope, not really.”

Sun laughed, then pat him on the back. “Ok, whatever. So can we go back to how cool this school is? Did you see the garden house this morning? It’s _completely transparent._ Isn’t that insane? And...”

But as hard he tried to, Neptune couldn’t focus on Sun’s words. Instead, he let his mind relax as Sun chattered away. It was way better than thinking about what had actually just gone down. Or  how big of a mess he'd gotten himself into.

 

\---

 

Wind whipped through Ozpin’s hair as he stood on the airfield, helicopter blades whirring behind him.

“What do you think?” Glynda asked. Ozpin shrugged.

“I think it’s too early to tell. But I have good feelings about this year’s tournament.”

“Will you be coming by to monitor it?”

“Naturally.”

Glynda let out a small sigh, and Ozpin picked up on her unease. “Do you want to tell me something?” he asked.

Glynda shook her head. Then she bit her lip. “Sir, I’m concerned about the threats we received last year. That happened before the events of four years ago, and then…”

Ozpin nodded. “I understand your concern. But we are better equipped to deal with it, should someone try something like that again. And honestly, I believe that it is essential for this tournament to occur. I’ve seen what it does at this school. The way people grow...it's truly amazing."

Glynda nodded. “Alright. We’ll proceed as normal, then?”

“Yes. And at the first indication of trouble, please inform me.”

“I will.”

 “Excellent.”

Ozpin entered the helicopter. Then he called out, “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“When you said that you thought this would be a good year?”

Glynda smiled slyly. “We are, of course, required to say that every year.”

Ozpin returned her smile, then raised a hand in goodbye as the helicopter began to take off. Glynda watched it until it became a dot in the sky, then said quietly to herself, “I definitely think it will be an interesting year. Good? _That_ remains to be determined.”

 

 


End file.
